QUEENSLAND ICON SWALLOWED BY GLOBAL CONGLOMERATE

In a move that has made waves in the packaging and foods industries, the iconic Australian brand Weis is slated to be bought out by the international heavyweight Unilever.

The giant conglomerate, who already owns several icecream and confectionary brands such as Streets, Talenti, and Ben & Jerry's, is promising that the aquisition of the company will not impact anything significant in the day-to-day running of the business. Jobs will not be reduced, and will stay located at the Towoomba plant in Queensland.

“We are delighted to bring Weis’ exciting and delicious range into our portfolio, adding another Australian favorite to our leading ice cream range. The acquisition will bring Weis into the benefits of scale, strong market access, and ice cream category to help take the business to the next level in its growth,” Clive Stiff, chief executive officer of Unilever Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.

In a release from Unilever, Weis's managing director Julie Weis said that she was confident Unilever was the right company for the takeover. “Our family made this decision because Unilever demonstrated their understanding of our brand, our products, and how important our people and the Toowoomba manufacturing site are in ensuring Weis’ success in the future. In addition, Unilever’s scale will enable greater market access and growth that will provide opportunities for our extended Weis family of staff, suppliers, customers, and, of course, our wonderful consumers."

Founder Les Weis said he and his wife Val were looking forward to witnessing the evolution of the company. “Val has always said to me ‘Business is like a wheelbarrow, it doesn’t go anywhere unless someone pushes it’ and I think Unilever will give Weis just the push it needs,” he said.